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Ultrasound scanning can be life saving . However, because it was being misused for gender determination and female feticide, the Government introduced the PCPNDT Act and started monitoring ultrasound scanning more closely, to prevent this abuse.

However , technology moves on, and it is now possible to determine fetal gender at 9 weeks of pregnancy with a simple blood test on the mother, using NIPT technology ( non-invasive prenatal testing) .

The UK Govt has already expressed concern that this test is being misused for sex-selective abortions.

However, the Govt of India is not doing anything to prevent the misuse of this technology to prevent female feticide. Blood testing is much easier than ultrasound scanning, and if these blood tests are not carefully monitored, female fetuses will continue being aborted, because the Govt of India is focusing purely on checking ultrasound scanning. The sex ratio will keep on dropping because government officials are not being proactive.

We cannot afford to miss the forest by getting bogged down in the trees !